Thursday, June 30, 2016

Fwd: CALL TO ACTION! The Fight to Win Medicare-for-All Continues...

CHC and NNU Organizer Pilar Schiavo testifies for Medicare for All to the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee.

Last Friday the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee rejected "Medicare for All", which would provide a single-standard of improved healthcare for all. An improved Medicare for All system is the best way to address the current gaps in our healthcare system. Nearly 29 million people in America are uninsured — in addition to 31 million under-insured Americans saddled with steep deductibles, co-pays, and reduced hospital and physician options. Determined by a 7-to-6 vote, the Committee's decision signifies their failure to represent 81% of Democrats and nearly 60% of all Americans supporting Medicare for All.

In his critical response to the DNC's vote against Medicare for All, Dr. Cornel West said, "Right now, given the magnificent breakthrough of the Affordable Care Act, [healthcare] is not a right. It's still a privilege if 29 million fellow citizens do not have access to it...[Bernie Sanders] is after our universal right in the way that voting rights are a right — it's not market-based. And we're not there yet. And we just voted against it."

Rose Ann DeMoro, Executive Director of National Nurses United stated that the Platform Committee's attempt to endorse the concept of health care as a right is "meaningless — little more than empty rhetoric without a specific plan of how to make sure every American will have the guarantee of receiving the care they need."

The fight for universal health care is far from over as last Friday's meeting was just the first step in the process. The full Platform Committee, consisting of delegates around the country, will receive amendments to the platform draft at their meeting in Orlando on July 8th-9th.

It's time to increase pressure and demand that our voices are heard! Sign and share the petition for Medicare for All so we can deliver thousands of additional signatures to the full Platform Committee on July 8th in Orlando. Please join nurses and healthcare advocates on Twitter and Facebook and push for #MedicareForAll at #DNC2016!